The Washington critic., 1887-08-06
THE TREASURY SURPLUS.


national finances, for which there is no
early prospect of relief through re.
duction OF tariff taxation, and 1t will
always he tempting the Secretary of
the Treasury into doubtful and ques.
tionable eXpedicnts FOR easing the
market. What. then, is TO be the
remedy
THE CRITIC, on more than one &C.
ca'ion during the last Congress, pointed
out the ndvisability Of liberal appro.
priations for improvements as the
Ieadiest solution of the veXed and
veXlng question.
The benefits to accrue from judicious
expenditures thus made, we have nj.
ways insisted, would be felt and re.
allied by the people at large to a far
greater extent than through any other
process of distribution, The tariff can
be reduced in many ways, and in the
sum of many millions Of dollars, with.
ont lifting any percep,ible burden from
the taxpayers Of the country; but these
mill ons of dollars put into the chan.
nels of trade could not fail to exert q
prompt and wholesome stimulus upon
the general prosperity.
The Troy Times, one OF the ablest
Republican newspapers OF New York,
Is of the same opinion. While express.
ing the belief that 1t is better to unload
the Treasury in the manner proposed
by Secretary Fairchild than it would be
TO retain the money In the Treasury
vaults, 1t hopes that zone of these days
the country will enter upon line of
policy which will reduce the surplus
and keep the money In circulation by
undertaking great and much.needed
public enterprises"
This is undoubtedly the true "linc of
policy" 1t points to a system of im.
provements which the increasing wants
of the country demand, and the neces.
sity of which in the earlier days of the
Republic the most far seeing states.
manship was unable to discern. The
requirements of great and powerful
government are not to be measured by
the same rule that applied to the period
of It's inception and weakness. We
have entered upon an era of illustrious
achievement In the stages of progress,
ard 10 keep pace with other enlight-
ened powers we have illimitable re.
sources to draw upon
OF all nations the United States is
least oppressed by the tax gatherer,
and there is no great work essential to
our welfare, whether 1t be In the arts
of peace or war, for which the means
cannot he readily provided without
pecessitating burdensome eXuclious
upon the people.
Let Congress, then. at its forthcom.
ing session. instead Of wasting its time
in fruitless wrangles on the tariff, pro-
coed at once to the consideration of
plans for Its business like disbursement
for the general benefit of the country.
The condition of the poorhouses and
jails In some Of the counties of Indiana
is reported shocking in the extreme by
the State Board of Health. No at
tSutiOu 10 puii citucl W tnC shHIthiy
or moral well being of the unfor.
tunate inmates and what is most surpris.
ing these abuses exist right In the midst
OF thrifty and prosperous communities,
where high order of Christian civili.
zation is supposed to prevail. The
barbaIic lawlessness of certain portions
of Kentucky has some redesming ele-
ments; not so the unconcern with
which people who boast of their en-
lIghtenment permit gross evils to grow
up and flourish, and humanity itself
TO be outraged under their immediate
cognizance. It Is one of the enigmas
and anomalies Of the day.
THE Cincinnati Commercial Gdzette
says of the "once notorious and much.
abused Boss Shepherd" that he
"made the money fly while he had con.
trol, but he did magnificent work In
the improvement Of Washington, and
is now highly praised, where he was
once denounced as arJbbcr" 1t strikes
us that our esteemed Cincinnati con
temporary, which Is now failing til,
District Commissioners vita some@ha
monotonous pertinacily, might deduct
amOral from IFS own tale
IL THE foresight Of Senator Reagan
and sundry other Texas Democrats ha,
been as good some months ago as thel
hlndsight is now they would probibl,
have kept out Of the Prohibition movs
ment. The Dallas Neus inlimates tha
the party will at its first convention
promptly correct the error into whic
it has been precipitated by 'timi
leadership" but 1t win take time t
straip hten on, the tnngle. Meanwhile
Mr.. Roger Q. Mills rakes in the pot.
THE New York Vor'd SAYS that tn
surplus should be stopped by reducin
the taxes that produce It; ''anl tn
President would have done far bette
TO call Congress together TO perrorr
this plain duty than to sanction dD
vice that must be oXtravagant to sue
coed, but which Is almost certain t
prove futile" But what assuranc
could he have that Congress woul
"perform this plain duty?' How lon
has Congress been Intellectually tinker
ing ON this very thing?
A WASHINGTON telegram to tn
birmingham Herald states that not
withstanding the much that has beel
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